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With More Cash, Iran Poised to Help Mideast Friends

Iran is widely expected to use some of the billions of dollars freed up by sanctions relief under the newly minted nuclear deal to aid regional partners hostile to Washington and its allies.

But with the threat of extremist group Islamic State redrawing old battle lines in the Middle East, the Iranian and U.S. camps sometimes find themselves fighting a common enemy. Iran hopes to leverage better relations with the U.S. and other Western nations to secure closer cooperation against common threats.

Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, who played a central role in negotiating the nuclear deal agreed on Tuesday, claimed in a recent address that his country was at the forefront of the fight against extremism.